20,000 Species of Bees

Award Winning films from Cornwall Film Festival

20,000 Species of Bees | Dir Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren | 2023 | 2h 9 min | Spain | Drama / World Cinema | Spanish and Basque (English Subtitles) | 12A | Captioned Screening 

A poignant debut feature from director Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren, 20,000 Species of Bees centres around a mother-and-child quest for identity during their summer in the Basque Country. Whilst sculptor Ane struggles under the weight of her marriage, financial troubles, and the unsavory legacy of her late father (also an artist), one of her children, eight-year-old Cóco, begins to question their gender identity. Newcomer Sofía Otero shines in her first ever film role, alongside an incredible female ensemble cast that showcases all of the wonderful possibilities and complexities of womanhood. 

 'a warm and generously performed film' - The Guardian 

'Spanish writer-director Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren’s mellow, softly piercing debut feature joins the likes of Céline Sciamma’s “Tomboy” and Emanuele Crialese’s “L’Immensità” in a select but growing canon of trans or nonbinary childhood studies.' - Variety